Hollywood Outlaw: A Hollywood Alphabet SeriesThriller (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 15) (23 page)

Mo went on. “You ever spend any time in Hollywood, Duke?”

Amanda’s husband glanced at her, then looked back at my hefty friend. “Just for a few months after I graduated from finishing school.”

“What kinda work did you do after you got finished?”

“I sold luxury cars for a period of time, mainly Bugattis.”

“You sure it wasn’t Fords?” Natalie said. “‘Cause, the only car dealership I knew of back then sold them cars that exploded.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Pintos. What was it like selling cars that blew up?”

Now it was Geoff’s turn to do an eye roll. He glanced at Amanda. “For God’s sake, I never sold…” he laughed. “…Pintos.”

“I just made the connection,” Mo said. “I know where I seen you before, Duke.”

Geoff swallowed and ordered another drink, before saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about Sally.”

“Who?” Amanda said, her botoxed forehead reluctantly giving up a couple of lines.

“It’s nothing,” Geoff told her. “I’m sure she’s just confused.”

“I wouldn’t call Sally the Tally nuthin’,” Mo said. She looked at Amanda. “Sally was a busy girl, and she had herself some extra parts, if you know what I mean.”

Geoff made some throat clearing sounds. “I don’t think this is productive…”

Amanda touched his shoulder, looked at Mo. “I want to hear this.”

“Back in the day, Mo was a pimp,” Natalie explained before I could stop her. “Only her job was gettin’ girls off the stroll.”

“That’s when Smiley here showed up,” Mo said, grinning at the duke.

“Smiley?” Amanda said. “What are you referring to?”

Geoff made a ducking motion, like he was planning to dive under the table and said, “This is ridiculous.”

I glanced over at my mother, who looked like someone at an accident scene. Robin and Adam, on the other hand, were covering their mouths to keep from bursting out laughing.

Mo went on, telling Amanda, “I’m talkin’ ‘bout a couple of birthmarks that Sally told everyone ‘bout, along with a certain part of the Duke’s anatomy that was god given. She said it looked like he had a smiley face down there.”

“I once knew I guy who they called Peanut,” Natalie offered. She looked at Geoff. “You got that problem, too, Duke…I mean, Smiley?”

Amanda stood up and tossed her linen napkin on the table. She glanced at the duke, who looked like he might pass out. “This is preposterous,” my sister said. “I won’t sit here and listen to this drivel.” She grabbed her duke by the collar and began leaving.

“No problem,” Mo said, calling after them. “That means there’s more spinach and tamales for the rest of us.”

After my mother also left in a huff to try and console my sister and the duke, we all ordered another round of drinks—actually several rounds. By the time the night was over, I only knew a couple of things for certain. The night ended with more than one smiley face and my sister would never speak to me again. Despite all its shortcomings, sometimes life can be good.

Early the next morning, I got a call from Buck, telling me that Addison Blaine had contacted her mother, and she’d agreed to meet with us later that day. I took a quick shower, did what I could with my hair, and took something for my hangover. I didn’t know if the duke, or Smiley, had survived after Mo had exposed his past. All I did know was that my sister would probably make his life miserable, before consoling herself by spending what was left of his inheritance.

After Natalie and Mo agreed to keep Bernie for the rest of the day, I drove to the station, where I learned I’d been chosen for CTA training. After some protests, I was forced to spend most of the day in a conference room learning about the benefits of cross training. Late in the afternoon, I got Lieutenant Edna’s permission to cut class because Buck and I had our meeting with Addison Blaine and her mother. We picked up Blaine in Bel Air before making the short drive to the House of Darwin in the Hollywood Hills. Along the way, Blaine gave us a little history of her mother’s enterprise.

“When Mom started the business, it was really just one of the first compatibility services that tried to match couples. As the years passed, she learned to use technology to take it to a whole other level.”

“What kind of technology?” Buck asked as drove us up into the hills.

Blaine had a cryptic smile. “It’s probably better seen than heard, but I think you’ll find it interesting.”

“You mentioned before,” I said, glancing back at her, “that you were a Beta at one time. How many years did you spend in that capacity?”

“I spent a couple of years working for my mother, including just over a year doing Beta training. I then spent about seven months with my Alpha before…before I told my mother I wanted out.”

“Seems like the right thing to do if the job wasn’t for you,” Buck said.

“I’m one of the few Betas that have ever quit. Once you’re under assignment, it’s expected that the only way that you’ll end your relationship is if the Alpha makes that decision.”

“Does that happen often?”

She shook her head. “It’s rare. Once the Alpha-Beta match is made, the training is so thorough and intense, most matches are as close to perfection as you can get.”

Buck met her eyes in the rearview mirror. “Except for yours.”

She cut her eyes to him, then lowered her gaze. “There are some men, even those who are world leaders, who are impossible to please.”

I was trying to guess who she might have been talking about when Blaine told us we were getting close to our destination. “You’ll need to pull up at the gate around the next bend in the road. I’ll do an iris scan for entry.”

We stopped at one of the highest points in the Hollywood Hills. Blaine went over to a security monitor before the gate to the estate opened. When she got back in the car, she said, “My mother’s cottage is down the driveway to the left, at the rear of the property,” She hesitated, then said, “Before we see her, there’s something I need to tell you both.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“There’s lots of reasons I quit working for my mother. Like I said before, one of those reasons is that I wasn’t a good fit for the Alpha I was assigned to. The other reason is Bert Prince.”

I said to Buck. “Stop the car.” When he’d pulled over on the driveway, I looked back at Blaine. “You lied to us.”

She blinked, drew in a breath. “I know, and it was a mistake. I didn’t want to raise any suspicions at the time.” She sighed. “I met Bert at a party, and we became involved for a few weeks about a year ago.” Her eyes fixed on mine. “I’m sorry I lied, but I didn’t kill him.”

I shook my head in anger, then turned back to Buck. “Let’s go.”

I wasn’t sure what her revelation about being with Bert Prince meant to either of our cases, but it struck me that Addison Blaine had been involved with both our victims. It was something I intended to keep in mind.

We found Deidre Blaine’s
cottage
overlooking a pool. It looked like something modelled after a Scottish castle, with a stone edifice, pointed turrets, and towers. After ringing the bell, a servant led us into a great room, where we were introduced to the owner of the House of Darwin.

After we said our hellos, Addison’s mother wasted no time giving us a piece of her mind. “The very idea that my daughter was involved in killing Cole Abrams is preposterous. Whatever possessed you to arrest her?”

Buck held his Stetson in one hand and answered in a way that demonstrated his southern charm and polite manner. “There was some physical evidence that didn’t pan out, ma’am. We’ve since cleared her of all the charges.”

Deidre Blaine’s violet eyes swung over to her daughter. “Well, thank goodness for small favors.” She turned back to Buck. “My daughter has her faults, but being a killer isn’t one of them.”

We took seats on a leather sofa that I thought I’d seen in one of those two-inch thick Restoration Hardware catalogues. The room had a fireplace big enough to walk into, stone covered walls, and thick beams on the ceiling.

As we chatted, I’d noticed that Deidre Blaine was tall and attractive, with dark hair and beautiful eyes. While Addison was pretty, in a girlish way, in the few minutes I’d been around her mother, I’d gotten the impression that she was serious, intelligent, and confident about her place in the world.

After some more small talk, Deidre Blaine got down to business and told us why she’d agreed to meet with us. “I’ve heard rumors about some of my business details being leaked to the press. When Addison called, I decided I wanted to set the record straight.”

“Addison told us you’ve been in business several years,” I said.

“Yes, the House of Darwin began just over a decade ago, discretely serving hundreds of wealthy clients.” She glanced at her daughter, back at us. “What I’m going to tell you might, on the surface, seem a bit technical, but once you see our operations, I think you’ll understand everything.” She cleared her throat and continued. “If you’ll recall from your years in school, Charles Darwin was a naturalist who developed a well-known theory. It was Darwin’s belief that evolution occurs due to natural selection. That selection process allows a species to adapt to their environment. The theory has probably been most popularized by the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’.”

I’d glanced at Addison as her mother spoke and saw that she was thumbing through a magazine. I had the impression that she’d probably heard her mother’s lecture a thousand times.

Deidre Blaine went on. “Evolutionary change occurs when individuals with certain characteristics have a greater survival or reproductive rate and pass on those characteristics. Here at the House, we take natural selection to a whole other level. We select for individuals, called Betas, who are trained to precisely adapt to their chosen operative’s environment. They are selected for characteristics that match those of the Alpha, thereby allowing us to naturally select for optimal compatibility.” She chuckled. “While it might bring to mind something out of science fiction, I can assure you that the process is quite benign and harmless.”

Buck had his Stetson in his hands and smiled at her. “I think I musta flunked Darwin when I was in school. Maybe taking a look around while you explain things would help me out.”

Her eyes lingered on Buck as she returned his smile. I had the impression that she was charmed and attracted to my temporary partner, but that wasn’t an uncommon reaction.

“Let’s go throw some stones,” Deidre Blaine said.

I had no idea what she meant, until we arrived at the House of Darwin. The modern structure was concealed behind a heavy growth of trees and brought to mind a rectangular aquarium, only on an enormous scale.

Deidre explained what we were seeing. “The House is approximately 10,000 square feet, constructed entirely of smart glass. Privacy is accomplished by applying an electric current to micro-particles embedded in the glass walls, thus creating opaque partitions and rooms.” She smiled. “It’s a technological marvel and also extremely energy efficient.”

She led us inside, where she introduced us to a beautiful young woman. “Kendra is in charge of day-to-day operations. She’ll walk you through the House.”

Kendra, who had blonde hair, perfect features, and flawless skin, introduced herself before leading us into a room where several young women and a man were being instructed by one of their Controllers.

“This is the PAS, or Personality Adjustment Section,” Kendra explained. “Our Betas are provided with personality keys that perfectly match an Alpha’s traits. Once a Controller finishes with a Beta, she or he will know their assigned subject’s life story, including the Alpha’s parental influences, schooling, friends, past relationships, intellectual and emotional strengths, and any potential weaknesses that others might use to influence him or her. The role of a Beta is to not only complement their Alpha, but to assist in making choices that result in the best of all possible outcomes.”

After we watched the group’s Controller lecture his class for a few minutes on how to access personality keys for their assigned Alphas, Kendra led us down an adjacent corridor. As we walked, I asked Deidre Blaine what kind of financial arrangements were made with the Betas.

“They’re paid based upon a mutual arrangement with the Alphas. Some earn six figure salaries. In some cases, money is secondary and the remuneration is less.”

“As in the case of Paulina Kristoff?” I said.

She stopped walking and looked at me. “Paulina had a special role with Cole Abrams. She was assigned to help facilitate my daughter’s relationship with him. In her case, money was unimportant.”

“She was in love with him, wasn’t she?”

She moved on down the corridor as I followed. “Some people might call it love. In my world, it’s called achieving maximum compatibility.”

We spent another hour being led through dozens of classrooms, where Kendra explained about the various types of programming the Betas received from other Controllers. The topics included achieving intellectual and emotional compatibility, relationship management, and short and long-term goal setting.

When we reached a final classroom, it occurred to me that what was being taught in the House of Darwin was a method to achieve both compatibility and control. I knew that those tools could be used to do as much harm as good, depending on how they were handled.

“This is our Intimacy Section,” Kendra explained when we stopped outside an opaque door. “For obvious reasons we won’t be entering today. I can, however, tell you that our Betas receive instruction on not only how to physically please their Alphas in every way imaginable, but also how to achieve maximum intimacy and pleasure.”

Buck smiled and said, “This place is pretty different from where I went to school.”

Deidre came over to him. “What is taught behind these walls, Detective, is state of the art. If you’d like a more detailed tour, I can probably arrange something for another time.”

Buck’s gaze came over to me. His smile was still there as he looked back at our host. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

We finished our tour and thanked Kendra before taking seats on an outdoor patio with Addison and her mother. I’d noticed during our tour that Addison had little interaction with her mother. It occurred to me there were probably a lot of unresolved issues over her past decision to quit the program, despite the fact that her mother specialized in achieving what she called maximum compatibility.

After chatting for a few minutes, I explained that we felt the murders of Bert Prince and Cole Abrams were linked. “There appears to be some financial issues involved in both crimes. Addison has told us that Cole’s funds were stolen from his accounts. In the case of Mr. Prince, money was being taken from his wife and daughters’ holdings.” I glanced at Addison, then looked back at her mother. “Your daughter has told us that some of the Betas may be using their positions for financial gain.”

“I believe this meeting has been very productive,” Deidre said. “It’s given me a chance to both explain my business operations and solve a couple of murders.”

“Can you explain what you mean?” I said.

“I know who’s behind both killings.”